Alexander the Great and His Early Life
Alexander, who was accepted as a king, savior and even god by defeating the invincible armies of the world in a period of 10 years. He is a natural conqueror. Alexander was born in Macedonia at the foot of the Olympos mountain which is called the house of the gods. The story of Alexander the Great is definitely not the ordinary story of an ordinary person, but perhaps the story of the most magnificent person ever lived in the world’s history.
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Throughout his ten-year expedition, he became the owner of land, a land that could be called far beyond the known world. No king has achieved his success in such a short time after him. It is said that Julius Caesar cried and Napoleon Bonaparte had jealousy cries because they could not reach the conquests of Alexander the Great. He established 70 new cities, which are called by his name. The first and most magnificent of these cities is the city of Alexandria in Egypt. The political and economic structure he has created in the lands he has captured continues to be effective even today.
Alexander the Great and His Time in Turkey
The most important parts of his life were on the Anatolian lands. Alexander started his great campaign in 334 BC by crossing the Dardanelles. Homer the blind bard was born in Smyrna (İzmir) today and Alexander the Great grew up by reading the book named Iliada by Homer. Iliad is about the Troia war. He always admired the heroes of Hektor and Akhilleus, whose names were mentioned in this legendary war, and he tried to copy these heroes all his life. For this reason, he started his journey from Troia (Çanakkale / Hisarlık today). According to what was told, he visited the tomb of Akhilleus and took his shield and never left this shield until the end of his life.
Alexander went to Assos to show his respect for his teacher Aristotle. The ancient city of Assos is in Çanakkale, Turkey today. When he started to take over the Persian Empire, two of the three most important wars he fought against the Persian army took place in Anatolia. These wars were the wars of Granicus, near the Biga District of Çanakkale today, and the Issos war near Dörtyol district of Antakya today. Alexander broke all the power of the Persian army and the morale of King Darius after his victories. There is only one city that he could not conquer. This city is called Termessos ancient city in Antalya.
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He unraveled the famous Gordion Knot in the ancient city of Gordion in Ankara today. According to the legend, it is believed that the person who untied the knot would be the ruler of the world. The generals of Alexander, who came to the Temple of Zeus in Gordion were worried that the attempt to unravel this knot and the possible failure would make Alexander a great dishonor in front of his soldiers. After taking a look at the knot, Alexander divided it into two with his sword, saying “I don’t think it is important to solve this.” The term “Gördes Knot”, which is also known as the “Gordion Knot” and is still used in carpet weaving in our country, comes from this region.
Alexander the Great Today
And finally; I must mention that the most important works of Alexander are exhibited in Istanbul Archeology Museum today. The magnificent sarcophagus made of Paros marble and named after Alexander the Great, and the bust of Alexander are among the most important works of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
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Alexander the Great is a person I personally adore and I find him an inspiration. I believe every human being should learn about his life and find ways to execute his strategies in their lives. You can always contact me if you have any questions about Alexander the Great and his time in Turkey. Also, you can contact me to hire a guide to see Alexander the Great footsteps in Turkey. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
